Accelerated rehabilitation following thumb ulnar collateral ligament repair with suture tape augmentation: A case series of professional basketball players

Harin Bhavin Parikh; M C Herman; A R Phillips; S S Shin

doi:10.1016/j.jht.2022.07.007

Accelerated rehabilitation following thumb ulnar collateral ligament repair with suture tape augmentation: A case series of professional basketball players

J Hand Ther. 2023 Jul-Sep;36(3):616-621. doi: 10.1016/j.jht.2022.07.007. Epub 2022 Aug 6.

Authors

Harin Bhavin Parikh¹, M C Herman², A R Phillips³, S S Shin³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Orthopaedics, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: harin.parikh@cshs.org.
² Pro Rehab with Mo, Redondo Beach, CA, USA.
³ Department of Orthopaedics, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

PMID: 35945095
DOI: 10.1016/j.jht.2022.07.007

Abstract

Study design: Case series.

Introduction: Rehabilitation protocols following thumb metacarpophalangeal (MCP) ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) repair typically do not allow for return to sport until 12 weeks post-surgery. The potential for accelerated rehabilitation following thumb MCP UCL repair with suture tape augmentation has yet to be explored.

Purpose of the study: To describe the accelerated rehabilitation following thumb MCP UCL repair with the suture tape augmentation in professional basketball players.

Methods: Three professional basketball players underwent thumb MCP UCL repair with suture tape augmentation. The athletes followed an accelerated rehabilitation program post-surgery that began with range-of-motion exercises at 2-3 days, proximal strengthening at 7-10 days, grip/pinch strengthening at 1-2 weeks, followed by progressive sport specific intervention with a custom orthosis.

Results: At 5-6 weeks post-surgery, active thumb MCP range of motion returned to 83%-100%, grip strength to 81%-100%, and tripod pinch strength to 73%-78% of the contralateral side. All athletes successfully returned to sport within 5-6 weeks post-surgery.

Discussion/conclusion: This is the first clinical application of an accelerated rehabilitation protocol in athletes following thumb MCP UCL repair. In this series, professional basketball players were able to return to sport in half the routine recovery time. Further prospective studies re-thinking current rehabilitation protocols are warranted.

Keywords: Basketball; Hand; NBA; Thumb; UCL, Ulnar collateral ligament.